Greetings from New York City

[Glitch]

Hello:

I am a law student in NYC, and I am hoping to get my first kilt sometime this summer. My first year of school will end in May, and I am hoping to spend the summer studying somewhere in Europe and travelling for pleasure, since this may be the last chance I have for a long time to do this. During my travels I hope to visit Edinburgh for a long weekend, and hopefully get measured for a kilt there.

I have a variety of questions, and I was hoping someone could direct me to the appropriate sections of the forum:

1. What tartan should I get? I am related to Clans Keith and Gunn, but the documentation to prove it has been lost through the years, though I know my ancestors of Septs Falconer and Mann, respectively, definetly hailed from Scotland. According to some Keiths I met at a highland games in Lune (Loon?) Mountain in NH several years back, if my mother has the middle name Falconer that is good enough, since they feel that anyone with the name must be related to the clan. The Gunns were more circumspect, but that's only for membership in the clan. Can I get a Gunn tartan kilt regardless? My ancestry is largely kept through oral tradition in my family, though. On the whole I like the design of Gunn better, all things considered. No offence to any Keiths here.

2. Where should I get a kilt? Does anyone know any reputable kiltmakers in Edinburgh you could give a referral for? How much should I expect to pay for a quality 16oz kilt? Pleat to sett or to stripe? I prefer stripe, I think it looks better, but is that Ok for casual wear or is it a faux pas?

3. I want to wear this mostly for casual engagements. If I later decide to wear it to a formal event, I can buy or rent the appropriate jacket and waistcoat later. What accessories are considered necessary? I imagine the belt, buckle, a chain, sporran, pin and decent socks are a must. Anything else? Bear in mind that living in NYC has some special considerations, so I might not be able to openly walk around with a Sgian Dubh on my person. What should I expect to pay for quality accessories that should last? I'd rather pay more now for accessories that will last a lifetime and look very nice than buy several of the same throughout the years because they fell apart.

4. Any reccomendations on footwear for casual kilt wear? I generally wear Tony Lama cowboy boots, but I think I'd look pretty rediculous with those on under a kilt. I was thinking of reproduction WWII American paratrooper lace-up combat boots. I am Airborne (Class 26-98), so I guess I'm entitled to wear them if I desire without fear of a paratrooper getting angry with me. Any other suggestions? I'm looking for something in brown leather, lace up, 10"-14" high. I also have some tanker boots, but I don't like the look of them. I think I might have bought from the wrong manufacturer, since they dont seem to have worn well. I figure I'd roll the socks over the top of the boots. I'm a real boot fan, as you can probably guess.

Thanks for your help, and it's very nice to have found this forum!

Sincerely,

Glitch

[ccga3359]

Hello:

1. What tartan should I get? I am related to Clans Keith and Gunn, but the documentation to prove it has been lost through the years, though I know my ancestors of Septs Falconer and Mann, respectively, definetly hailed from Scotland. According to some Keiths I met at a highland games in Lune (Loon?) Mountain in NH several years back, if my mother has the middle name Falconer that is good enough, since they feel that anyone with the name must be related to the clan. The Gunns were more circumspect, but that's only for membership in the clan. Can I get a Gunn tartan kilt regardless? My ancestry is largely kept through oral tradition in my family, though. On the whole I like the design of Gunn better, all things considered. No offence to any Keiths here.

2. Where should I get a kilt? Does anyone know any reputable kiltmakers in Edinburgh you could give a referral for? How much should I expect to pay for a quality 16oz kilt? Pleat to sett or to stripe? I prefer stripe, I think it looks better, but is that Ok for casual wear or is it a faux pas?

3. I want to wear this mostly for casual engagements. Bear in mind that living in NYC has some special considerations, so I might not be able to openly walk around with a Sgian Dubh on my person.



Sincerely,

Glitch

Welcome from Southern Ontario. All the replies you'll get is to wear what you want. If you like the Gunn over Keith then get it. You do not have to prove you clan affiliation to wear that tartan. You will find many inexpensive but quality kilts on this forum if you wish to save some money then go with poly viscous instead of wool. You can find such http://www.usakilts.com. As for the sgihn dubh you can get one that is actually a bottle opener (somebody better able could show you the link to that. Pretty much any kilt can go from formal to casual with no problems. So just get what pleases you. I would recommend that you do a pretty extensive search of the forum. There you will find answers to questions that you haven't actualy thought of yet.

[Tattoo Bradley]

Welcome from New Mexico. You can certainly wear any tartan you like. You don't have to prove anything to anyone. You just wear it proudly.

[pdcorlis]

Welcome to the rabble from th ehills and streams of north Idaho! I'm sure you'll get plenty of good advice here, but don't forget about the search feature - it works well on this site!

[kiltedcougar]

welcome!

[McClef]

from South Wales UK!

You don't need documentation to obtain a tartan as has already been said.

I'm in Edinburgh next month so will try and make a list of the good kiltmakers and an idea of their prices which will probably for wool rather than another material. Some could charge extra for pleating to the stripe.

[walkerk]

Greetings from the California Coast!

You've come to the right place for advice.

Get yourself a copy of the free book "Kilts & Tartan Made Easy" here: http://www.clan.com/kiltsandtartan/

Be sure to have a look at this interminable thread: http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=17155

As for boots: many favor six-inch boots with the scrunched down socks. But there's no need to conform.

[N. Campbell]

Welcome from Ohio.

You can certainly wear any tartan you like. I picked my two tartans, because I have a very strong respect for what they represent, and I wear them with pride. One of my kilts I have on order is in the Black Watch Ancient tartan and I am having that pleated to the strip, as the Black Watch is a regimental tartan. I will wear this kilt casually for my highland game competitions.

I purchased my other kilt from the Strathmore Woollen Company they are in Forfar Scotland, I do believe they are not to far from Edinburgh. I highly recommend them. My kilt was around $500.00

As for boots I wear Caterpillars with my kilts. They are extremely durable and just look great with kilts.

[ckelly327]

Welcome from upstate (Albany suburbs). The standard answer to your first question will be repeated a lot - go with the Tartan you like and if you feel an attachment to it then that's all the better. Just wear it proudly.

I ordered my 16 oz, 8 yard wool kilt from a kitlmaker in Scotland online last year and it cost about $425 plus another $75 thanks to the govt.

As far as accesories, check out the advertisers here like kiltgoodies, usakilts, stillwater kilts or the many others. When you look at member's taglines/signatures they will often have links to their websites. You can also watch for some things on e-bay but to be safe come back here to ask if it's a reputable dealer. The folks here have a ton of experience to learn from.

When I started out my sporran, belt, buckle, and kilt pin ran about $150. I didn't go all out but they all look nice. They are fine for casual occasions.

Good luck with the end of your school year and enjoy being kilted.

[Jerry]

Welcome from Virginia. For answers to most of your questions, check out the Scottish Tartans Museum at this link. There are some excellent articles, and the faq will answer many of your questions'

http://www.scottishtartans.org/

Matt Newsome, the curator, makes excellent kilts and has a lot of the accessories you will need at reasonable prices.